Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.51 – April 6, 1976, Vṛndāvana

Prahlada Maharaja is such qualified devotee

[Poor Recording]

Pusta Krsna: "The great saint Narada Muni said: Being pacified in this way by the devotee Prahlada Maharaja with prayers offered from the transcendental platform, Lord Nrsimhadeva gave up His anger. Being very kind to Prahlada, who was lying prostrate, offering obeisances, the Lord spoke as follows."

So Nrsimhadeva was very angry. Everything is natural. If somebody becomes angry, it takes some time to get out of the anger. So Nrsimhadeva was very, very angry because His devotee, Prahlada, was so much treated ill by his father, it became intolerable. [indistinct] children, they naturally attract the affection of the elderly people. So whatever we see in our dealings within the material world, the same things are there in the spiritual world. Janmady asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. This affection of the Lord, of the superior person to the inferior children, is natural. So wherefrom this affection comes? It comes from the Supreme Lord. Everything. Yato va imani bhūtani jayante [Taittiriya Upanisad 3.1].

Whatever you see in this material world, same prototype of things are there in the spiritual world. Then what is the difference? The difference is, here everything is polluted, but in the material world..., er, in the spiritual world, there is no influence of the material qualities. Nirguna. This is nirguna. Here everything is... Prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaiḥ [Bg 3.27]. Gunaiḥ karmani is here.

We should understand what is the difference between material and spiritual. Here in this material world, world everything is polluted. But it is material pollution. Why? Sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. Out of these three gunas, sattva-guna is the best. If one is situated in sattva-guna, then there is chance of being promoted to the stage of nirguna. The tamo-guna is the lowest state, and ignorance, foolish, rascals, can be found, and animals. This is tamo-guna. Papa-yoni, this is tamo-guna. Then if one is fortunate, he can be situated in the rajo-guna. Rajo-guna, at least there is some material interest indirectly. So... But above that, there is sattva-guna, to understand things as they are. In this way, when you get good scope for understanding of things as they are-not falsely studying and speculating, by proper right chanel--that is called sattva-guna, prakasa: enlightenment. Just like darkness at night, you cannot see anything. That is tamo-guna. Then in between the darkness and sunlight, there is a period, dark, early in the morning, it is not completely illuminated, but the darkness is not gone. The [indistinct] That is the mode of passion. Everyone gets up early in the morning and begins his work. And in the sunshine, one can work very nicely; he can see how nature is situated, how things can be done. Similarly, one who is dominated by the tamo-guna, he is like animal. He is like animal. But taking this body as self, this is tamo-guna. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Yasyatma-buddhiḥ kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13].

So at the present moment we see that 99.9 percent, they are all in tamo-guna, because they are taking this body as self. Anyone goes any part of the world, ask him, "Who are you?" He will say, "I am the material body. I am Mr. such and such," "I am Russian" or "I am German," "I belong to this family" and so on, "this nation"-all the body[?]. That is our practical experience. Nobody knows that he is not this body. This is tamo-guna. And few may be trying to speculate that he is not this body; he is something else. That's a fact. But because on account of being influenced by the tamo-guna, he cannot understand [indistinct]. And we have to come to the stage of nirguna, even there will be no sattva-guna. Here sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, is sometimes not [indistinct]. They are attracted by the lower qualities, by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna mixed. It becomes mixed. But if you want to become devotee, then you have to overcome even this mixed quality of sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. You have to come to the platform of nirguna: no more influenced by the material qualities. That is the bhakti stage, nirguna. Therefore, here it is said, bhaktya bhaktena nirgunaḥ.

So bhakti is the only platform which is nirguna, and from that platform you can please the Supreme Lord. Here it is clearly said, prahradam pranatam prito. You cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the material platform of rajo-guna, tamo-guna, sattva-guna. That is not possible. You have to come to the platform of bhakti. Bhaktya mam... And who can come to the platform of bhakti? Only a bhakta. Not the others, namely karmi, jnani, yogi. No. They cannot. It is not possible. Therefore it clearly says here, bhaktya bhaktena. The same thing is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55].

If you want to understand the Supreme Lord, tattvataḥ, in truth, not in your imagination... "God may be like this, God may be like that," these are all speculation. God, the Supreme Being, isvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1]. Bahūnam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate, vasudevaḥ sarvam iti [Bg 7.19]. Vasudeva is the origin of everything. This knowledge, vasudevaḥ sarvam iti. Nothing else. That conclusion can be achieved when you are nirguna, not saguna.

So in the spiritual world, it is not void, not impersonal; it has everything exactly like this. There are also the same, there are trees, houses, everything. Cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam [Bs 5.29]. Surabhir abhipalayantam. Prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa. This kalpa-vrksa, there is tree, but it is not like this tree. A different, kalpa-vrksa. From this tree, whatever you want you can get it. That is called kalpa-vrksa. In the material world, because it is covered by the three gunas, you can get the mango from the mango tree and orange from the orange tree, not that any tree you have grown you get both the mango and the orange. That is not possible. That is there in the spiritual world. Just like if I ask you, "Please bring me a glass of water," you can give me. If I ask you, "Please bring me this little [indistinct]," you can give me. That means because you are spirit soul, whatever I ask from you, you can give me. Spirit soul. Whatever I order, you can supply because you are spirit soul. So the spiritual platform, you can get everything, whatever you want. So there is no need of working for something. As soon as you desire, the things are there. That is called nirguna. Nirguna does not mean it is zero. That is the Mayavadi philosophy. They have no conception of the nirguna. Nirguna prakoshi[?], it is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna is always nirguna. He is not within anything of this material world. But those who are rascals, they cannot understand. They say that God is impersonal; when He comes He takes the help of material energy and gets a body, material body. This is their philosophy. No. Krsna says that "I appear...," sambhavami atma-mayaya. [Bg 4.6]

These Mayavadis, they cannot understand what is atma-mayaya. Personality, atma-mayaya. Atma-mayaya means spiritual. He does not appear in the material form. Those who are rascals and less intelligent, mūḍhas, avajananti mam mūḍha manusim tanum asritam... [Bg 9.11]. "Because I come exactly..." He is also... His form is like man. Dvibhuja, Muralidhara. Krsna has two hands and Narayana has four hands. Krsna is always carrying His flute; this is Krsna's lila, form.

Venudhara: carrier of a flute. It is not that I shall imagine the God's form with a flute. No. It is confirmed in the Vedic hymns, Vedic literature: venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam barhavatamsam asitam... This is His original form. It is not the imagination of the Mayavadis. No. But they do not know; they cannot understand. God's form can be understood by the devotees only. It is... Krsna is not exposed to anyone except His devotee. Therefore, bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg 18.55].

Krsna clearly says, bhaktya mam abhijanati. And these bhaktas, Krsna says, "This bhakta who has fully surrendered unto Me with full knowledge, not blindly," sarvarhanam yutejya, [SB 4.31.14]. When one has come to this platform that Vasudeva is everything, sarvatma vasudevya, simply by worshiping Vasudeva, you can worship everyone, all the demigods. There is no need of worshiping anyone else. Mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66], only Krsna. This is Vasudeva.

So Prahlada Maharaja is such qualified devotee. Therefore, by his prayer the Lord immediately became pleased. Pritaḥ. Pritaḥ. As soon as one is satisfied, naturally he will come out of his angry mood. This is natural. Pritaḥ yata-manyur abhasata. And we can speak very nicely when we are not disturbed in mind or we are not in angry mood. In this way, Prahlada Maharaja was accepted. He was accepted not [indistinct], especially by his prayer, which is nirguna [nirguna gunar api]. So we should always remember that nirguna means without any material qualities. Material quality is saguna, "with the material qualities." So nirguna means without any material qualities. So karma, jnana and yoga, they are all material qualities. Only bhakti is spiritual. Even in that bhakti, if you bring in karma, jnana or yoga, then it is mixed; it is not pure. Therefore, Rūpa Gosvami gives definition of bhakti, anyabhilasita-sūnyam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11].

Anyabhilasita means karma jnana and yoga. If you want to be profited, bhakti-yoga, through some yogic wonders... The yogis, they create sometimes wonders. If one thinks that because being a bhakta I shall also show some wonderful thing, then it is not nirguna; it is saguna. If you think that "I shall become a devotee. I shall get all the material comfort," that is the desire of the karmis, that is karma-misra-bhakti, jnana-misra-bhakti: devotional service mixed with karma, devotional service mixed with jnana. This is mixed up. So long you are mixed up, you will get whatever you desire. Krsna is quite competent to satisfy you in that service. It is not very difficult thing for Him. If becoming a bhakta, if you want some material comfort, it is not at all difficult for Krsna; He can give you. But you are cheated. By your asking some material comfort from Krsna, God, by your service, by exchange of service, you can get the material comfort, more than your expectation, then you must know you are cheated. You are not cheated by Krsna, but you cheat yourself. Krsna is sarva-[indistinct]. Whatever you want, He will give you. If you want to be cheated, He will cheat you. This is God. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg 4.11]. "If you want to be cheated, I will cheat you. If you don't want to be cheated, I will not cheat you." This is reciprocation. Responsive offer.

So don't try to be cheated. That will spoil the [indistinct]. Don't ask anything from Krsna. Simply you have to give everything to Krsna, then that is bhakti. Don't try to take from Krsna in exchange of your service. He can give you immediately. That is not difficult for Him. But don't do that. Prahlada Maharaja was offered, "Prahlada, you take one benediction. You take." Dhruva Maharaja also, he was pure devotee. Dhruva was offered that "If you want the largest kingdom than Brahma, I will create it, the Dhruva star. You go there, you will enjoy." So he was then very regretful, that "How foolish I was. I came to offer my respects to the Supreme Lord for some material exchange." He became very regretful. He said, "My Lord, whatever I was asking, it was my ignorance. Now I don't want." Svamin krtartho'smi varam na yace [Cc Madhya 22.42].

"No more. I was… It was a mistake that I wanted some material benediction from You." This is pure, nirguna. This is nirguna. As soon as there is some demand, that is saguna; that is not pure. Simply avyabhicari bhakti. Not mixed with jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Cc Madhya 19.167]. Not covered by jnana and karma and yoga. Caitanya-caritamrta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami, sakali 'asanta' [Cc Madhya 19.149]. Bhukti and mukti, they want some material profit. So Krsna gives. And mukti, liberation, they are wanted by the jnanis, to become free from this material botheration and become one with God. This is also another demand, jnani. So bhukti-mukti-mukti, they want mukti. A devotee doesn't want mukti. What is mukti?

One who is actually devotee, he doesn't care when he is placed in the heaven or hell. He doesn't care. He simply wants to serve Krsna, never mind where he [indistinct], not even heaven or hell, the same thing: because a devotee does not live either in hell or heaven, he lives in Vaikuntha always. He doesn't care for hell and heaven. Just like Krsna, isvaraḥ sarva-bhūtanam hrd-dese [Bg 18.61]. He also lives within the core of the heart of the pig who is eating stool. But does it mean that Krsna is in the stool? No.

So nirguna. We have to remain nirguna. Then it is bhakti, and by that bhakti you can please Krsna. That is called prema-vilasa. The devotee is eager to please the Lord as He wants. Priti-vancha. Krsnendriya-priti-vancha tara nama prem. When you are eager to satisfy the senses of Krsna, that is called vilasa. And when you want to satisfy your senses, that is called kama. That is difference between kama and vilasa. So here within the material world, all activities are going on as kama. You can expand. First of all you are satisfied by satisfying your senses. Just like a small child: you give you him something eatable, and immediately he puts it in his mouth. This is satisfaction. He wants to satisfy his senses. When he grows up, he may distribute that eatable to his other brother and sisters. So this does not mean you have changed the quality of sense gratification. It is very subtle thing. In the material world we see sometimes you are working for your family. But if you work for the nation, you become a very great man. But what is the basis? The basis is sense gratification. Very big, big politicians, they work for the nation, sacrifice their life, but that exalted politician, it is not nirguna; it is saguna. You can expand, expand, expand-unless you come to the point of satisfying the senses of Krsna, you are saguna. And when you live to satisfy the sense of Krsna, that is nirguna, that is bhakti. In that state, you can satisfy Krsna and your life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada! [end]